


sleeping habits

by TripsH



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Falling In Love, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-28
Updated: 2014-12-28
Packaged: 2018-03-04 01:41:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2904647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TripsH/pseuds/TripsH
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oikawa has developed a strange set of sleeping habits over time, all of which Iwaizumi has grown accustomed to being a part of.</p>
            </blockquote>





	sleeping habits

**Author's Note:**

  * For [yoeko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yoeko/gifts).



> This is my gift to Teresa for her birthday. It's exactly one month late (I did not plan it this way, I swear) and I guess this can double over as a belated Christmas gift at this point too haa 
> 
> I had so much fun writing this for you, and I hope you enjoy it! Thank you for being such an amazing friend and always talking about iwaoi and seijou with me :') LOVE YOU <33
> 
> As usual, this was not supposed to be as long as it got, but I've just come to accept that I have absolutely no control anymore so... 
> 
> And as a final side note, falling in love is my absolute favorite tag to use :')

**_I._ ** _(age 8)_

“Iwa-chan, wake up! Iwa-chan!”

Someone is shaking his shoulder, voice trembling, frantic, and when Iwaizumi opens his eyes he can barely make out the outline of a small figure kneeling next to him on the bed. It takes a few seconds to process why the voice is so familiar and why he’s even being shaken awake in the first place, but then it all clicks into place.

“Oikawa? What’re you—?”

The other stops shaking his shoulder, but doesn’t pull away, is clinging onto his arm tightly. Oikawa’s hold on him is just as strong as before, but his voice sounds the slightest bit more relaxed, and he looks relieved when he murmurs a quiet, “Iwa-chan.”

Iwaizumi doesn’t have to be an expert to know that something is wrong if his best friend is shaking him awake in the middle of the night.

Almost unconsciously, he looks over to the window, checking if there’s a storm—Oikawa always gets like this when it thunderstorms, especially when the storms are bad ones.

But it’s not raining. The night is quiet, calm, which means—

“You had a nightmare?” He sits up, finally able to get a better look at Oikawa now, the moonlight illuminating his face enough so Iwaizumi can clearly see the look of fear in his eyes and what may be the remnants of tears on his cheeks.

Oikawa shakes his head quickly. “N-no. I’m just cold, and was wondering if—”

(The exchange is familiar, something they’ve had before. Oikawa wakes up Iwaizumi for whatever reason—a storm, a nightmare, a noise—but always tries to pass it off as something else in order to be allowed to curl up close to Iwaizumi until he falls back asleep, forgetting whatever it was that had scared him in the first place.)

As easily as he could call Oikawa out on the lie of “being cold,” he doesn’t. Instead, he simply rests his hand over Oikawa’s, squeezing it gently. “You wanna sleep here?”

“Yes!” Oikawa scrambles under the covers with him, clinging onto Iwaizumi tightly.

For a few moments, it’s quiet, as they both try to fall back asleep. But then he hears a soft whisper. “Iwa-chan, thanks.”

It’s punctuated with Oikawa squeezing him a little tighter and Iwaizumi opens his eyes again, meeting Oikawa’s. “‘S nothing. Go back to sleep, okay?” He yawns before smiling and poking Oikawa’s shoulder gently. “Don’t push me off the bed this time or I’ll never let you sleep over again.”

A quiet laugh. “You’d miss me too much if you did that.”

“Yeah, right. Because I _like_ you taking up the whole bed.” Despite the words, he rubs a hand over Oikawa’s arm, fingers trailing over the soft skin. “Hey, you know you can tell me if something’s wrong, right?”

“Mmm, yeah, I know.” Oikawa avoids looking at him for a moment, and fidgets a little, adjusting his position.

As the quiet consumes them, Iwaizumi thinks that’s all there will be to the conversation, and shuts his eyes. But then Oikawa finally answers, voice quiet, maybe a little shaky still. “It was just a bad dream…”

“Yeah?” Part of him wants to ask what about because bad dreams for Oikawa can range from something like aliens taking over the world to monsters under the bed grabbing him and dragging him there. The dreams, although scary to Oikawa, tend to be ridiculous and something they’ll laugh over later because they can be so wild.

But now doesn’t seem like the right time. Oikawa still seems shaken up about it—much calmer, yes, but completely better? No. So he settles for an attempt to be comforting, even though it probably won’t do much. “Whatever it was, it’s okay now, though.”

“Yeah…” Oikawa looks at him and moves a little closer. “Hey, Iwa-chan? What would you do if I wasn’t around? Like if we got separated or lost or something?”

“I’d find you,” he says without a moment’s hesitation. It isn’t until he sees Oikawa’s smile that he realizes what he said, but it’s too late to take it back—not like he’d want to anyway, he means it, after all. “So… so don’t worry about it, okay? If that’s what you dreamed about, don’t let it bother you.”

Although he’s expecting teasing of some sort to occur, Oikawa doesn’t go there. Instead, he hugs Iwaizumi tighter, leans in closer, the smile still on his face and it seems like whatever fear he had because of that nightmare is gone now, chased away. “Okay. Thank you, Iwa-chan. Goodnight!”

“‘Night.” He falls asleep soon after that too, warm and happy.

Waking up the next morning after Oikawa’s arm whacked him hard in the face and nearly falling off the edge of the bed is still annoying, of course—Iwaizumi has no trouble letting Oikawa know that when he slaps his arm away and shoves him to the other side of the bed—but maybe it’s slightly more bearable, maybe he’s not as annoyed as he could have been. Because he made Oikawa feel better, safer, helped him relax. And honestly, although he’d never actually say this out loud, that’s enough to overpower any annoyance he may feel toward Oikawa’s ridiculous sleeping habits and make Iwaizumi happy too.

 

 **_II._ ** _(age 13)_

Iwaizumi wakes in the middle of the night, at nearly three in the morning, when he hears his phone on the table next to his bed buzzing, the screen lighting up the dark room as Oikawa’s name flashes across it.

He picks it up quickly, pressing it to his ear. “Hello?”

There’s no answer at first, but he still waits a moment for some sort of sign that Oikawa is there. “Dumbass if you sleep dialed me, I swear I’ll—”

“Iwa-chan…”

He nearly jumps at the soft voice on the other end, mainly because he’s not expecting it so suddenly after the silence, but also because he’s surprised to hear Oikawa sound so quiet, kind of scared. And he immediately panics. “What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He doesn’t sound completely sure, though, so the answer does nothing to calm Iwaizumi’s worry.

“You don’t sound fine. And calling me in the middle of the night doesn’t say fine either, Oikawa.” He rolls over onto his side, almost ready to get out of bed and walk the short distance across the street to Oikawa’s house if he has to. “What’s up?”

It’s silent for a moment longer, and Iwaizumi is about to ask again, but Oikawa finally answers him. “Can’t sleep. My parents went away this weekend, you know? And… and I don’t really like being here alone.”

Idiot. Why didn’t he say something earlier? Iwaizumi would have had no problem staying over or letting Oikawa stay at his house. “Want me to come over?”

“No, Iwa-chan, it’s fine. I don’t want to make you…”

“If I minded, I wouldn’t have offered, idiot.”

“I know that,” Oikawa says, and Iwaizumi pictures him, lying flat on his back looking up at the ceiling, phone pressed to his ear and a soft smile on his lips. “Can you… can you just stay on the line with me? For a little while… at least until I fall asleep?”

“Sure.”

They talk for a while. First it’s just Oikawa filling the quiet spaces with words, with anything really, and Iwaizumi is content just listening to his voice, the way it rises the slightest bit with excitement at the story he’s telling, the way it quiets down and becomes a little muffled as he shifts his position or yawns. He’ll answer Oikawa’s questions, keep the conversation going with his own thoughts, happy to hear Oikawa’s quiet laughs and soft responses.

“Hey, Iwa-chan?” Oikawa finally asks after a lull in conversation—those are becoming more and more common as they both drift towards sleep, long pauses and more breaths heard than actual words as it gets later and later.

“Hmm?” He had his eyes shut for a moment, and doesn’t bother opening them. Oikawa’s voice is soothing, is lulling him to sleep.

“Can I stay over tomorrow night? So I’m not alone again?”

Iwaizumi sighs softly, curling his fingers into his blanket. “‘Course you can. You don’t even have to ask, ya know…”

“‘Kaaay.” Oikawa yawns, and there’s a short pause before he says more. “Iwa-chan, thanks again.”

“It’s nothing…”

“Yeah, but still...” He hears rustling on the other line and figures that it’s just Oikawa shifting his position to get comfortable. “Goodnight if I fall asleep…”

“Yeah, goodnight. Come over for breakfast in the morning if you want.”

He doesn’t get any response for a few moments, and only hears soft and even breathing when he listens closely through the phone. “‘Night,” he murmurs softly, before finally drifting off to sleep as well.

 

 **_III._ ** _(age 15)_

“Don’t fall asleep there!” Iwaizumi swats at Oikawa’s leg lightly when he feels the other’s head lean on his shoulder and the grip around his neck loosen.

“But Iwa-chan, you’re so comfy,” Oikawa murmurs softly, nuzzling his head against Iwaizumi’s shoulder. “Better than any pillow.”

Iwaizumi rolls his eyes, trying to ignore the way his face suddenly feels warm at Oikawa’s closeness. “Don’t sleep while I’m carrying you. You’re heavy. And we’re almost home, so just wait.”

“Fine…”

After finally forcing Oikawa to leave the gym after practicing so late, and as they had begun to walk home, Iwaizumi had noticed the other limping slightly, as if he was trying to avoid putting pressure on his right knee. With a sigh, he had pulled Oikawa to a stop and told him he’d carry him the rest of the way home, not wanting him to hurt his knee any further.

Oikawa, who had been quiet about it at first—probably because he was the one trying to hide the injury in the first place—quickly got comfortable on Iwaizumi’s back, though. So comfortable he was falling asleep on the way home.

Just thinking about it stirs up an odd mixture of anger and frustration and worry all at the same time. He’s angry at Oikawa for trying to hide the injury in the first place, frustrated that Oikawa just won’t quit with all of the extra practice and overworking himself, worried that Oikawa has seriously hurt himself this time, that this could be really bad.

But he doesn’t say anything right now, it’s a conversation they can have later. Right now, he just wants to get Oikawa home and make sure he’s alright. Fighting now won’t do any good.

“Can I stay at your house?” Oikawa asks when they’re nearly there. “It’s probably easier that way.”

“Yeah, fine.”

When they get to his house and upstairs, he gently sets Oikawa down on the bed, finds him some clothes that he’s left there before and tosses them at Oikawa’s head before changing himself and going downstairs to get ice for Oikawa’s knee.

When he gets back, he hands Oikawa the ice and shoves his shoulder gently. “Go to sleep.”

Oikawa doesn’t lay down, though, and just looks at him instead, eyes a little surprised at the words. “But it’s your bed. I usually—”

“You’re hurt and probably exhausted.” Iwaizumi pushes his shoulder again. “Put the ice on your knee and go to sleep. It’s fine.”

Oikawa still doesn’t seem keen on the idea, and crosses his arms over his chest as he watches Iwaizumi set up a makeshift bed on the floor, where he’d been planning to sleep since he’d given Oikawa the bed. “No.”

He’s torn between laughter and annoyance as he looks up and see Oikawa, ice sitting in his lap, arms crossed over his chest, and the signature pout—the one that says _I’m not doing this, you can’t make me—_ on his lips. “I’m not sleeping, then.”

Iwaizumi sighs, irritation definitely overpowering the urge to laugh he had felt a moment before. “What do you mean you’re not sleeping, dumbass?”

“I’m not sleeping alone in your bed.” Oikawa sounds more like he did when he was five than the teenager he is now, and it’s relatively endearing, but also annoying because this is a dumb issue to fight over, really.

“Seriously?” His face feels warm again, and although they’ll often bicker over trivial and useless things, it’s still annoying to think that he’ll probably end up caving in just because Oikawa pouts and whines a little bit. Oikawa almost always wins in situations like this, and the idiot _knows_ it.

(That’s one thing he’s always hated. Okay, not hated. It’s more of a mystery, really. He doesn’t completely understand the desire to see his best friend happy, a desire so strong that he’ll cave in, indulge Oikawa, and let him have what he wants just to keep him from crying or pouting or being upset. If there’s one thing he wants explained to him, it’s that feeling.)

“If you don’t sleep up here, then I’ll sleep down there with you,” Oikawa continues, tone still just as defiant.

Oikawa is such a brat, and Iwaizumi wants to ask him why they’re even bickering over an issue like this. Why of all the things they could fight over— _have_ fought over these past few weeks considering Oikawa’s tendency to stay late after practice, working hard and seemingly forgetting everything but the volleyball in his hands—this? But instead, he simply sighs, leaning back, his hands propping him up as he sits back and looks at Oikawa. “We’re too old for that anyway.”

It’s true. When they were kids, sharing a bed was normal. Generally uncomfortable, because Oikawa is the biggest bed hog he has ever met in his whole damn life, but normal. Now, he thinks it would be uncomfortable. One, because they’ve grown, awkward and gangly limbs that accompanied adolescence an obstacle to comfort. Two, because Iwaizumi has begun to notice the strange hammering of his heart when Oikawa is near, the way his face flushes, red and hot, when Oikawa lingers too close, throwing an arm across his shoulders and grabbing hands and other affectionate gestures, the way Oikawa seems to occupy most corners of Iwaizumi’s mind, and even when he doesn’t, how he manages to effortlessly worm his way back into Iwaizumi’s thoughts.

Sometimes, he thinks about kissing Oikawa, of feeling his smile against his own, of assuring him with a simple press of their lips that Oikawa is enough, everything, perfect, and doesn’t have to worry about shit like being surpassed by a genius first year or losing out to an unbeatable team.

(He’s always been number one in Iwaizumi’s eyes, and no matter what, that’s what he’ll always be.)

Oikawa seems to think about his words for a moment, but quickly waves his hand in dismissal, deeming them stupid as he rolls his eyes, lips cracking into a grin. “Didn’t know stupid stuff like that bothered you, Iwa-chan.”

“It doesn’t,” Iwaizumi insists. “But do you think I wanna spend my night sleeping on the edge of the bed because you take up so much room or that I want to be kicked or slapped in the face with your arms? I’m tired too, you know. Have some consideration.”

Oikawa laughs and leans forward, stretching his arm out and reaching for Iwaizumi’s hand. “What if I promise to stay on my side of the bed?”

 _You won’t_ , Iwaizumi thinks, but he shrugs, muttering a simple, “I _guess_ it’d be okay, then.”

The smile on Oikawa’s face, if anything, is worth it.

…

“Hey dumbass, I thought you were gonna stay on your side.”

Upon their agreement to share the bed, Iwaizumi turned away from Oikawa to face the wall, with every intention of falling asleep quickly. At least until he feels shifting around in the bed and hears what sounds like a little whimper of pain.

He rolls over quickly, catching the slight grimace on Oikawa’s face before it’s masked with a strained smile. “You okay?”

Oikawa nods, pulling his hand away from his knee, probably in hope that Iwaizumi won’t notice. It’s a fruitless attempt, really, because Iwaizumi would never miss something like that.

The ice from earlier is gone now, thrown to the side, but obviously the pain is not. But still, Oikawa is forcing a smile, acting like nothing is wrong. “I’m fine, Iwa-chan. Just a little sore from practice, that’s—”

There’s an audible hitch in Oikawa’s breath when Iwaizumi pulls the covers back to look, his fingers brushing over Oikawa’s knee.

“Does it hurt?”

“No, not too bad…” He shuts his eyes, chewing on his bottom lip while Iwaizumi rubs his knee gently. “Really, Iwa-chan, I’m fine.”

In part, he believes the words, but he also knows how Oikawa tends to brush things off and put on a fake smile to act like everything is fine even when it’s definitely not. “Dammit, Oikawa,” he hisses. “You’re an idiot.”

Oikawa laughs, but it’s not the usual happy, good-natured laughter Iwaizumi is used to. This is darker, bitter. “Always so mean, Iwa-chan, even when I’m hurting. I don’t think my poor heart can handle—”

“What’s the point of all of this if you get hurt?”

Oikawa shrugs, looking away from him. “I don’t know.”

“Then stop it. Stop doing this to yourself. It’s not worth it.”

“You wouldn’t understand anyway…”

 _That_ pisses him off. “You think I don’t understand? You’re an idiot, Oikawa. A fucking moron! I do get it. I understand how you feel, but if you think I’m gonna sit back and let my damn best friend hurt himself, then you’re wrong.”

Oikawa’s eyes widen. “Iwa-chan…”

“Go to sleep,” he murmurs, pulling his hand away from Oikawa’s knee and pulling the covers back up. “There’s no practice tomorrow, so you’re resting. I don’t give a shit if you fight me on it, that’s what’s happening.”

There’s an overwhelming silence for a few minutes after Iwaizumi rolls over back over and away from Oikawa, and he wonders if Oikawa fell asleep.

But then someone grabs him from behind, hugging him tightly. “Iwa-chan… Iwa-chan, I’m sorry.”

It doesn’t sound like Oikawa is finished, so he remains silent, acting as if he’s asleep.

“Sometimes… sometimes I think you’re too good to me, you know?” He laughs slightly, but it’s more like he’s trying to fill in the silence with something other than his own words. “And whenever you try to help me I mess up and push you away. Thank you. Thanks for staying even though—”

“You’re stupid for thinking I wouldn’t,” he says quietly, feeling Oikawa tense, but then relax again as Iwaizumi rolls over and throws an arm over his waist. “I’m not going anywhere, isn’t that obvious, dumbass?”

“Yeah, but I always wonder if…”

“Don’t spend time wondering about stupid things. I don’t care what you do, I’m not leaving. Someone’s gotta be here to drag you out of the shit you get into, right?”

“Right.” Oikawa smiles and hugs Iwaizumi tighter, and it feels like everything it okay now, has settled. Like no matter what is thrown at them, they’ll be fine. “And besides, no one is a better pillow than you, Iwa-chan. How would I ever be comfortable again?”

He rolls his eyes, but doesn’t push Oikawa away. “You’d figure something out, I’m sure.”

“But what if I don’t want to?”

He smiles and can practically hear the way his heart is hammering in his chest, hoping Oikawa can’t feel it because that’s just… really embarrassing. When did Oikawa get the power to make Iwaizumi feel like this? As if he didn’t have enough already, it’s completely unfair.  

“You’re okay, right?”

“Mmhmm,” Oikawa murmurs sleepily from where he’s curled up against Iwaizumi’s chest. “Doesn’t hurt that much anymore. Only a little.”

“Good.” For a moment, he’s tempted to curl his fingers in Oikawa’s hair and pull him closer, but he stops himself, pulls his hand away and murmurs a simple, “Get some sleep.”

Even if he wanted to, he doubts he’d be able to push away Oikawa, who is almost asleep and holding onto him tightly, nuzzling his face against Iwaizumi’s shirt. “‘Night, Iwa-chan.”

“Yeah, goodnight.”

 

_**IV.** (age 17)_

The summer training camp of their third year is hell, for lack of a better word. Not because of the training itself (which is bad enough, but bearable), but because it’s so damn hot.

Even at night, it’s still so hot that it’s uncomfortable and hard to fall asleep, no matter how tired they all are.

What makes it worse, Iwaizumi decides, is that Oikawa rolled over from his spot next to him and decided to cling onto him.

 _Not here, dammit._ It’s hot and not to mention that all of their teammates will see, and after the questions and teasing they’ve received before about being a couple—Kindaichi asking curiously once back at the beginning of the school year, Hanamaki and Matsukawa laughing like Iwaizumi spluttering out a “no” was the funniest thing they’ve ever seen in their lives—waking up the next morning with Oikawa curled up against him is not something he wants to deal with.

“Get off,” he whispers, careful not to wake any of their teammates as he shoves Oikawa’s shoulder. “It’s hot.”

“Mmm what?” Even though it’s obvious Oikawa is still awake, he pretends like he was asleep and Iwaizumi so rudely woke him up. “What’s wrong?”

“Get back in your own spot,” Iwaizumi insists.

“Make me~” Oikawa sticks his tongue out, looking and acting five years old, like usual, and Iwaizumi smacks him lightly upside the head.

“I’m not going to suffer tomorrow because you kept me up all night. Go to sleep. In your own spot. Away from me.”

Oikawa sighs dramatically, like he’s been asked to do the most tiresome task in the world instead of simply having to roll over and go to damn sleep. “Always pushing me away, Iwa-chan. So mean.”

“I’m not pushing you away. It’s called I want to sleep and you’re preventing that. So goodnight Oikawa.” He turns away, even though Oikawa looks like he wants to grab onto him again. 

“But Iwa-chan—!”

“I said _goodnight Oikawa_.”

They both freeze when they hear one of their teammates move, and remain quiet for a few moments in fear of waking everyone up. It quiets down soon after and is probably safe to talk again, but Oikawa doesn’t say anything for a little longer. And Iwaizumi thinks that for once maybe he’s won.

“I can’t sleep well when I’m not somewhere familiar, you know.”

 _And there goes that idea._ As if Oikawa would let him win that easily. Of course not. It’s not in Oikawa’s nature to give up, even over something as trivial as sleeping arrangements.

“I know, but what do I have to do with that?” Oikawa almost always sleeps badly when he’s not home or somewhere he feels comfortable with. Iwaizumi remembers other training camps or sleepovers at other kids’ houses where Oikawa had slept poorly and been tired the next day.

Oikawa laughs quietly, moving so he’s kneeling and leaning over Iwaizumi. He pokes his cheek. “You’re stupid, Iwa-chan. Isn’t it obvious?”

Maybe at any time other than the middle of the night it would be obvious.

Despite asking the question, Oikawa doesn’t allow him time to answer. “You’re familiar, Iwa-chan. You know, kind of like home.”

He bites his lip, praying that it’s dark enough and that there is no possible way Oikawa can see the blush that’s sure to be on his cheeks. His stomach does a strange sort of dip at the words, and dammit he’s torn between wanting to curl up and disappear or punch Oikawa’s shoulder or _something_ because it feels like he’s been laid bare and that Oikawa can see absolutely everything he’s feeling even if he tries his best to hide it. Which is not exactly something he wants to deal with at the moment, when all of their teammates are sleeping around them.  

He’s grown used to the feeling he has for Oikawa by now. Doesn’t mean it’s gone away, but he’s better at concealing it, at accepting that pulling a stupid stunt like diving into a relationship could ruin what they have, and he doesn’t want to do that. Not when there’re only a few months of high school left, when the future is uncertain and unclear. No matter how much he wants more, he’s content just staying by Oikawa’s side and will accept that. If Oikawa wants more too, then fine, they can cross that bridge when they get to it.

( _You’ll never know if he wants that if you don’t do something first. What if he’s just as scared as you are, or doesn’t realize it yet?_ is what the reckless part of him says. But the sensible part overpowers any urge he may have to act on what he feels, and holds him back.)

But when Oikawa says stuff like that so freely, it really is hard to stay sensible. Nearly impossible, honestly.

So even though he’d been initially against it, he sighs, rolling back over to face Oikawa. “Come here.”

Oikawa smiles, bright and happy, looking like he’s won something, and flops down next to Iwaizumi, curling up against him. “I knew you’d give in.”

“I just don’t want to see you falling asleep during practice tomorrow and have the whole team suffer for it,” Iwaizumi mutters quietly. “It’s for the team, not for you.”

There’s soft laughter and fingers curled into the back of his shirt. “Sure, Iwa-chan. Keep telling yourself that.”

“Yeah, I will. Goodnight.”

Oikawa yawns. “‘Night, Hajime. Thanks.”

His eyes almost fly open at that, because Oikawa using his first name instead of the nickname that has stuck since early childhood is a rare occurrence. But he stays calm. At least he thinks so, but in a way, it probably doesn’t matter because Oikawa has always been good at seeing through him, can read every little thing without really even having to try, the overpowering sense of familiarity and being together from childhood onwards makes doing so effortless. For both of them. (Honestly, it’s a wonder he hasn’t realized that Iwaizumi feels something more than friendship for him yet.)

Still, he waits a little bit, until he’s sure Oikawa’s asleep, before he opens his eyes, watching the other sleeping peacefully now. Once he’s comfortable and tired enough, Oikawa always falls asleep so easily. “How many times do I have say that you don’t have to thank me?” He takes a breath, says the next word uncertainly, almost like he’s testing it, “Tooru.”

After a moment’s hesitation, his fingers brush Oikawa’s bangs away from his forehead. “Goodnight Tooru,” he says quietly, much more certain this time, enjoying each syllable, the way Oikawa’s name sounds on his lips.

Eventually, they’re woken up to snickering and someone—Hanamaki, he’s pretty sure—snapping a picture of them on his phone early the next morning and laughing hysterically with Matsukawa while the first and second years look either amused or uncomfortable.

It’s a pain, dealing with all of the teasing and jabs, but when Iwaizumi sees Oikawa, awake and not tired, happy because of a good night’s sleep—one that can be accredited to _him_ —he wants to say that it’s worth it.      

 

_**V.** (age 18)_

“Move your legs.” Without even waiting for confirmation or for Iwaizumi to do so himself, Oikawa pushes his legs off of the couch and flops down next to him, laying his head in Iwaizumi’s lap.

“I don’t remember agreeing to this,” Iwaizumi says, looking down at him. Oikawa has pulled out his phone, no longer paying attention to what they had been watching on TV, much more focused on the screen in front of him and whatever text he’s typing out.

He turns his head, looking up at Iwaizumi, a smile on his lips and mischievous glint in his eyes. “You’d never kick me off, though, right Iwa-chan?”

“No promises.”

Oikawa laughs, turning back to look at his phone, while Iwaizumi focuses on the TV again, somewhere along the way ending up absentmindedly stroking Oikawa’s hair. The movie only holds his interest because it’s _so bad_ that it’s funny, some weird action movie that Oikawa had found surfing through channels and suggested they watch. Of course, Oikawa lost interest barely halfway in, which is how they ended up in their current position in the first place.

“What the hell are we watching anyway?” Iwaizumi finally asks after a while, finally glancing away from the screen when Oikawa doesn’t respond right away. “Hey…”

Oikawa is asleep, his phone still clutched in his hands, and Iwaizumi finds himself smiling at the sight of him sleeping peacefully like this. They should probably move to bed, though. It’s late, and sleeping on the couch, especially like this, wouldn’t really be the most comfortable for either of them. Oikawa is easy enough to carry anyway, he’s had years of practice at it, and can lift him carefully enough that he doesn’t even wake up on the trip from the couch to his bedroom.

Iwaizumi carefully pulls the phone from Oikawa’s hands, and is about to set it aside when something catches his eye. The picture on the lock screen. It’s from the beginning of this past summer, a selfie Oikawa had taken of himself and Iwaizumi on a walk home from school. Their cheeks are pressed together, Oikawa’s arm thrown across Iwaizumi’s shoulders, and they’re both smiling. Although it’s a little bit blurry and definitely not the best picture ever taken, back when he first snapped the photo, Oikawa had said it’s one of his favorites.

He smiles when he sees the picture, thinking back on not only that memory, but on just how many memories they’ve shared, of how long they’ve been together, side by side. Of how he’s slowly fallen in love with the idiot in his lap, his very best friend, someone he’s been drawn to from day one, someone he’s always been with, someone he can’t imagine life without.

No matter how annoying or obnoxious or troublesome Oikawa can be, no matter how childishly he acts, Iwaizumi would never trade anything for this. Ever. They’re adjacent pieces in a puzzle, fit perfectly, meant to go together, make each other better, stronger.

He doesn’t remember his first meeting with Oikawa—they were way too young to be able to remember that, only babies—but one of the first memories he has of the other boy, the image that sticks out most in his head, is when they were three. He remembers Oikawa hiding behind his mother’s leg, holding onto her hand tightly until he was gently nudged forward and they were both told to go play together. They had gotten into a fight over some stupid toy Oikawa had brought with to the park, both insisting they had a better idea of what they should play. Oikawa had cried like a big baby when Iwaizumi pinched him and in an effort to stop the boy’s tears, Iwaizumi had agreed to play whatever it was he wanted, in part because he hadn’t wanted to get in trouble, but he thinks there was probably another reason as well. Almost like some sort of strange force drew him in, drew them together, and there really was no debating anything else that came after because that’s just how it’s always been. Them, together.

 _I never stood a chance against you, did I?_ He wants to laugh because really, it’s been inevitable since day one, writing on the wall that he’d develop some sort of unbreakable connection and strong bond with Oikawa, and everything he’s ever felt for him really isn’t that surprising. That mixture of fondness, admiration, appreciation, _love_ , it’s always going to be there. No matter what.  

And maybe it’s okay to finally act on that. Maybe it’s okay to at least try.

But that’s a confession for later, he thinks, as he runs his hand through Oikawa’s hair one last time before carefully maneuvering off the couch and scooping the other up into his arms, carrying him to bed.

…

“Iwa-chan?”

“Ah, sorry you woke up.” He shifts his position in Oikawa’s bed so he can see him clearly, awake now a few moments after the trip from the couch to the bed.

“‘S fine,” Oikawa says sleepily, sliding closer and snuggling against Iwaizumi. “Mmm you’re warm.”

Iwaizumi laughs. “Glad I could be of help.”

It’s quiet for a few moments after that, and Iwaizumi is pretty sure Oikawa has fallen back asleep, and he’s on the verge of sleep himself. Until he hears Oikawa’s soft voice. “How come you never push me away?”

Even though he’s almost asleep and could easily avoid Oikawa’s quiet words, barely there and possible of being a dream in the first place, he answers. “Hmm?”

“When we sleep,” Oikawa says, this time louder. “You never push me away.”

Their eyes meet and maybe it’s tiredness from practice that day, or the thoughts from earlier or just his own stupidity and desire to finally blurt out how he’s felt for years, but he finds himself saying, “What if I don’t want to?”

Oikawa doesn’t respond right away, and Iwaizumi worries that had been the wrong thing to say and that he’s fucked everything up with one simple sentence. But the next words are a relief, calm him. “Good. I don’t want you to. I like it here… I like _you_ here. So don’t go, okay?”

Even after years together, filled with many affectionate touches and shared smiles and promises passed between them, he feels like this is the most intimate, the most honest, they’ve ever been. It feels like they’re moving somewhere and not staying the same they’ve always been, like they’re changing the pitch but playing the same song. A new rhythm, a new beat, but still familiar and safe and home.

“We’re talking about more than sleeping arrangements, aren’t we?”

“Isn’t that obvious? I thought you were smarter than that, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa smiles, real, bright, so completely beautiful and perfect and before Iwaizumi can even completely process it, they’re both leaning in, their lips meeting.

It’s quick and gentle, tentative and unsure, lasts for only a few seconds, and when they pull back they both are probably sharing the same looks—eyes a little wide in surprise, but lips upturned in soft smiles. Happy.

And then they’re leaning toward each other, kissing again, much more certain now that once unspoken feelings have been finally confirmed. Oikawa presses himself closer, and Iwaizumi rests a hand on his cheek, fingers ghosting over his skin. After so long, after wondering what this would be like and dwelling on it, this is finally happening, and it feels perfect, like it was meant to happen, like there could be nothing better.

When they pull apart, foreheads pressed together, Oikawa laughs breathlessly. “Iwa-chan.”

“What?”

“Why did we wait so long to do that?”

“No idea. Stupid of us, huh?”

As if an attempt to make up for lost time and missed kisses, Oikawa leans in again.

“Iwa-chan,” he murmurs between quick, insistent kisses and breathless laughs. “Iwa-chan!” 

“Hm?” He almost wants to ignore Oikawa’s words, much more occupied with the newfound pleasure of kissing him and holding him close like this, now that something he’s thought about doing for so long is finally a reality.

But then Oikawa pulls away, holds onto Iwaizumi’s shoulders and presses him flat against the mattress, leaning in so close that Iwaizumi can feel his warm breath on his face. “Hajime.”

“ _What?_ ” he asks, looking up into Oikawa’s smiling face, the thought that he wouldn’t mind seeing it forever quickly passing through his mind. “What is it?”

“I love you.” He leans in and presses another quick kiss to Iwaizumi’s lips. “I love you so much, Hajime.”

Iwaizumi smiles, the words they’ve been holding back for so long finally out there and perfect to hear, and wraps his arms around Oikawa, pulling him against his chest so they’re laying down together once again. “I love you too.” He presses a soft and gentle kiss to Oikawa’s forehead. “ _I love you too, Tooru._ ”

 

_**VI.** (age 21)_

Being a couple really doesn’t change much between them, honestly. They still spend as much time together, but now there’s the added bonus of touching and kissing frequently, something that didn’t accompany mere friendship.

If anything, things have stayed mostly the same. Oikawa still teases, Iwaizumi still jabs him in the side, punches him in the shoulder, smacks him upside the head. Oikawa still insists on using Iwaizumi as a pillow, Iwaizumi still lets him flop all over him and curl up against his side. Oikawa still has the same weird sleeping habits—ones where he likes to be near Iwaizumi after nightmares, hates sleeping alone and in unfamiliar places, needs to hold on tightly and cuddle in bed, will fall asleep on Iwaizumi’s shoulder or in his lap when they’re sitting on the couch—and Iwaizumi still accepts and indulges each and every one.

“Hajime,” Oikawa says quietly one night after sex, just as Iwaizumi is about to fall asleep, poking him in the chest a few times. “Hajime.”

“What?”

“I love you.”

 _This_ is a newer habit, one that didn’t appear until after they had shared that first kiss a few years ago, but one that fits perfectly into place, like it’s always belonged.

“I love you too, Tooru.” Iwaizumi pulls him closer, presses a kiss to the top of his head. “ _Now go to sleep._ ”

Oikawa is still a complete anomaly, still has completely ridiculous and strange habits and routines he falls into. But Iwaizumi would never trade any of it. Ever.


End file.
